Peer into the Past

Once again, we entered several history projects into the annual Peer into the Past. 

The actual day of the fair has changed somewhat for us since the early days. I didn't go until later in the morning with Dad, and Jarrod was working; the next four children actually entered projects.

: : Mrs. Rakete always organises a history presentation before prize giving. : :
This year Steve, a homeschool graduate (he entered a project into the first ever Peer into the Past eight or so years ago!) spoke about the Vikings. The costume featured above weighs about 40 kilos! 

: : Diana with her project on the American Flag : :

Photos from my iPhone since Mum forgot the camera, two projects missing since I only remembered to ask about the camera as everyone was packing up. Lol

Peer into the Past 2014

For the last five/six-ish years Mrs. Rakete has organised Peer into the Past, the Manukau Homeschool Group's history fair. Usually we've had around four to six projects entered, but this year we weren't even sure if we'd have any! Monique and Danielle did enter though (at the last minute . . . ) with projects on Ida Skudder and the Titanic, respectively. 

Also for the first time, I wasn't at the fair the whole time; it was on a Wednesday (my birthday, incidentally) which is the day I work with Dad, and we just popped over for a little while. Yeah, I feel old not really being part of it {haha}. I got to catch up with some other "old" people {lol} I hadn't seen for ages so that was nice.

Irene spoke about Greece's impact on modern western society, and then we had prize giving. Danielle won a prize, as did our pastor's kids.

Peer into the Past 2012

Preparation

Organised by Mrs. Rakete, Peer into the Past is the annual history fair for the Manukau Homeschool Group.Our family has enjoyed preparing projects to enter since Peer into the Past began (perhaps four years ago?), and although I didn't submit my own project this year, I did help my sister Diana (then 6 years) do one.

Her project was about Princess Diana (hmm wonder  how/why we picked her! haha). I've had (too) much previous experience with putting projects together in the last two weeks before the fair, so this year I decided we definitely would not do the same! Weeks before the fair we checked some books out from the library and started reading them and writing the rough draft of the biography, which would be the centre of the project, around which everything else would come together.

We were doing quite well until about two weeks before the fair, when the rough (and only) draft, along with the main book we had been using, went missing. . . . 

For a few days we just left it, in case it turned up like things often do with little ones around to put things in the last place anyone would ever think to look! It was somewhat painful, but in the end we did start over. Despite the setback, we still managed to be finished the project before Monique and Danielle finished their ones!! haha :P

On The Day

I had a bit of a mental list of things I wanted to do before went to the fair, but most of the things on it seemed to slip my head that morning (typical, huh?), the clock seemed to tick a bit fast (oh come on, there was a really long post on someone else's blog!!!), finally though Diana was up and had eaten breakfast. She changed into her costume and I curled her hair.

Once Jarrod had changed the tyre on the van we left for the fair. 

Displays were set up and 'hellos' said before judging began. Oops I didn't realise I needed to tell the 6-year-old not to say "I don't know much"! Otherwise I think they were all okay with being judged. lol

Spectators arrived to view the many projects not long after, and 'Spot the Solution' (a quiz with a question from each project. You have to find the answer by reading the displays) started. {Diana and I won together this year - yay!! lol the prize was chocolate...}

Later on Mr. Rakete spoke on Maori history (with some more lively participation from the children at times), and then cam prize giving. All entrants receive a certificate, judges marking sheet (so they know what areas they did well on or need to improve), and a chocolate bar. Don't think any of my siblings won a prize this year but that's all good, we've won some before.

I think there were significantly fewer spectators this year, which was a shame. The day itself was good though and a lot of work had been put into the entries, mostly likely an indication that the entrants learnt a lot through the whole experience! :)

Anyhow this concludes my review of Peer into the Past 2012. Thanks for reading!

: : Prize giving | ok maybe not the best photo, but I can't see any of my siblings an any of the other ones : :

17th Birthday Celebration: Mini-Golf

: : Birthday Girls - Middy & Ruth : :

My friends Ruth and Middy both turned 17 in June this year. The following is a description of the celebration that took place on the 23rd (a Saturday).

Since only one of us (Suzanne) has a full driver’s license, we all went in one vehicle; Becka was picked up first, I was next; then we went to get Middy and her mum, before heading out to Treasure Island Mini-Golf (near the airport).

Sometimes it’s really handy being the height I am. For example, when you go somewhere that says ‘ID required’ to get in at student pricing, but I can get it without ID or questions! Haha :P

  

: : Me, Es, Middy : :



I hadn’t really played mini-golf before, so I guess you could say I was a bit disadvantaged in that regard, since everyone else knew how it all worked while I had to learn! We had heaps of fun though, and took loads of photos (mini-golf with friends = photo session, right? Lol).





: : Es and I : :



Some holes were ok, some were cool, and some were just plain annoying, because you could get the ball so close multiple times, but it just wouldn’t go in the hole! I think each of us got one (not the same) hole in a single shot. Mine came on one where we had all said “Oh no, this is gonna be a hard one!” because it was a longer distance than some of the others, and there were two steep rises, and near the hole was just on a slight slope; if you missed the hole, your ball would roll right back to where you’d started from! Also when I got it, the floodlights were off and it was quite dark.





: : Ruth and I : :





: : Me, Ruth, Becks, Es, Middy, & Suz : :



By the end we were freezing and glad to get back to the car. We went to Pak n Save, then to Middy’s. We quickly ate dinner, butter chicken, before going downstairs to watch a movie. After much debating we had chosen All A Girl Could Want, and we managed to squeeze five of us on one couch to watch {good times!}. Because we’re so great at planning (haha), we had piles of chips, lollies, chocolate, and soft drinks, as well as a delicious (well done, Es :) ) birthday cake – which boasted of more variety in icing than I could have dreamed of!

We had heaps of fun, and were a tired lot when it came to home-time! Again, happy birthday Ruth and Middy!

Fun Run 2012

Every athletics season our club holds a 'fun run' as a fund raiser. The athletes run as many laps as they can around the track in one hour. And well yeah, I kinda didn't do it this season!! But hey, I got heaps of photos instead :P Enjoy!


Grouping up around the start line




Middy, Mrs. Rakete, and Mrs. Bennet marking people.
The athletes get a mark each time the cross the start/finish line;
at the end of the night, the marks are counted to determine the
number of laps the athletes have run.




Katie (8) and Amy (7)




Bryce (4)




Joanna (4)




oops..she saw me! Danielle (5)




ok, so maybe instead of asking her to pose,
I should take a photo when she isn't looking?!?hehe
cute tho, right? lol




Joel and Essie




Mackenzie (4) and Matti run the sausage sizzle

  After we arrived home for our awesome night at athletics, our neighbour Melissa dropped these in:


 Yes, they were delicious!!!

Peer into the Past 2011

Peer into the Past, the Manukau HomeSchool Support Group's annual history fair, was held on the last Thursday of term 2, 2011.
This year (er, last year!) I didn't feel particularly inspired about any topic for a project, so I just kept putting it off. About two weeks before the fair I realised there was no way I could do a project and keep up with all my 'normal' school work; I would have to take the time until the fair off my other work, so I could concentrate solely on my project. I decided I couldn't really afford to do that, so I didn't do a project. Consequently,  I must have had plenty of free time, you say? Well, no, actually. On top of my school work (yeah that takes a bit of time!) I helped the others a bit with their projects (Jarrod, Monique and Danielle entered this last year), and cooked the dinners for five nights or so before the fair, so Mum could concentrate on helping with the projects.

Jarrod did a project on Charles Upham, a kiwi soldier.

Jarrod with his project

Monique's was entitled 'The Kauri Tree in History.' Her interest in the topic was sparked while we were on holiday in Dargaville in April, where we learned about the Kauri tree and gum diggers. She actually bought some Kauri gum somewhere there too! Monique's project received special interest because it was slightly unusual!

Danielle was very committed in her study of  Harriet Tubman, and she titled her project "Harriet Tubman: Slave and Railway Conductor" (or, ah, something along those lines!)

Because I didn't have my own project that needed to be judged, someone volunteered me to spend half an hour in the kitchen, serving tea and coffee.

Why do I always look terrible in photos?!?

I'm afraid I don't remember the exact times that things happened throughout the morning, but first of all after everyone had arrived and set up was the judging. There were separate judges for each age group, and the entrants were judged on their presentation (board plus any extras like dressing up or props), content(?), and orally.

A bit later on the venue was opened to spectators, and 'Spot the Solution' sheets were given out. For this, each entrant had previously submitted a question from their project, and its answer, to Mrs Rakete. The questions are compiled together, and spectators go from project to project answering the questions. At the end of the day all the sheets are put in a box, and the person with the most correct answer wins a prize.

 Before prizegiving, someone gives a speech on something historical. This year Mr. Johnstone spoke. I found his topic, a particular battle in the Crimean War, quite interesting, because it built on what I had recently learnt in Geography when I studied the Crimean Peninsula. He did well keeping the younger ones interested by getting many of the homeschool students to help re-enact a battle scene.

After Mr. Johnstone's talk came prizegiving. Every entrant from a particular age group gets called up, one at a time, and presented with his certificate. Once the whole age group is standing on the stage everyone claps for them and they are allowed to move off, and collect a chocolate bar.
The helpers (myself included, yippee!! haha) each received a note thanking them for their help, and a toblerone. We teenagers shared the toblerones among us. =)

Then we all cleaned up and went home!

All in all, it was a good day! Thanks Mrs. Rakete, for organising it again!

Adios!
Bianca =)

Bike to Breakfast

Hi again!

Well, I can't be bothered writing anything new about Bike to Breakfast, so I'll just use an article I wrote for the Term 2 homeschool newsletter. =)

At approximately 7am on Wednesday February 17th, a group of homeschoolers met at the Rakete’s. The group consisted of the Rakete’s (obviously)!, Aiken’s, Crummer’s, Mrs Rakete’s Mum-Jill Hall-, a couple of the Rakete’s cousins, Irene and Bernie Corbett, my brother Jarrod and me.


To look more like a ‘group’ we all wore weet-bix t-shirts.

When everyone was ready (that didn’t take to long) we organised ourselves into two groups – the ‘fast group’, and the ‘slow group’- I was in the fast group. Then we left for Manukau City.

We rode around the car park while waiting for the ‘slow group.’ When they FINALLY(!!) arrived we all headed for the lawn by the ANZ.

There were very few people there, so we had plenty of room for throwing Frisbees (or hitting people with them because they didn’t really work as Frisbees!), using the ‘slap bracelets’ – orange reflective strip on top, black fabric on back, they’re about 40cm long, and look kinda like rulers. You hold them out straight, then hit someone (fairly hard) on the arm, and it wraps around them.

They had a sausage sizzle, hash browns, Nutri-grain, Weetbix, heaps of other cereals, tinned peaches, juice, milo, tea & coffee, and probably heaps more that I have forgotten!

We all (or most of us teens anyway!) thought their choice of music was .. hmm...interesting? They played Amazing Grace, and Silent Night!

Well anyway, we talked for a while, and did the afore-said activities!

We then took some photo’s and left.

My brother and I had to bike home from the Rakete’s, and we got absolutely SATURATED!!!

However, despite the rain, it was an experience that I believe was greatly enjoyed by all.

Back from left: Rueben Rakete, Mrs Rakete, Joel Aiken, Caleb Rakete, Irene Corbett, Reagen Crummer, Alan Aiken, Miriama Rakete, Bianca Jago
Front from left: Mrs Aiken, Danielle Aiken, ?, Cleo Crummer, Bernice Corbett, ?, Jarrod Jago, Jessemae Aiken, Timothy Aiken, ? Abigail Rakete, ?, Katie Joy Aiken

Ok, well I think I got those names correct! Hope I did...

CYA,
Bee